orchid

orchid

English

Phalaenopsis cultivar

Orchis lactea with root visible and a one-Euro coin for scale.

Etymology

From New Latin Orchideae, Orchidaceae, an irregular formation from Latin orchis, from Ancient Greek ὄρχις (órkhis, “orchid, testicle”) (ostensibly from the shape of the roots[1]). Supplanted Middle English ballokwort (literally “testicle plant”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.kɪd/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹ.kɪd/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)kɪd

Noun

orchid (plural orchids)

1. A plant of the orchid family (Orchidaceae), bearing unusually-shaped flowers of beautiful colours. [mid-19th c.]
2. A light bluish-red, violet-red or purple colour.

   orchid:  

Synonyms

• orchidea

Translations

plant

Afrikaans: orgidee (af) f Albanian: orkide (sq) Arabic: أُورْكِيد‎ m (ʾūrkīd), سَحْلَب‎ m (saḥlab) Armenian: խոլորձ (hy) (xolorj) Burmese: သစ်ခွ (my) (sachkwa.) Catalan: orquídia (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 蘭花／兰花 (zh) (lánhuā) Min Nan: 蘭花 (zh-min-nan) (lân-hue) Czech: orchidea f, orchidej (cs) f Dutch: orchidee (nl) f Finnish: kämmekkä (fi), orkidea (fi) French: orchidée (fr) f Galician: orquídea (gl) f German: Orchidee (de) f, Knabenkraut n Greek: ορχιδέα (el) f (orchidéa) Hebrew: סחלב‎ (he) (sakhlav) Hungarian: orchidea (hu) Hunsrik: Paresitt f Indonesian: anggrek (id), bunga anggrek Irish: magairlín m, lus na magairlí m Italian: orchide (it) f, orchidea (it) f Japanese: 蘭 (ja) (らん, ran), 蘭の花 (らんのはな, ran no hana) Korean: 난초(蘭草) (ko) (nancho) Lao: ດອກກ້ວຍໄມ້ (dǭk kuāi mai) Latin: orchis f Lithuanian: orchidėja f Macedonian: орхиде́ја f (orhidéja) Malay: anggerik (ms), orkid (ms) Norwegian: Bokmål: orkidé (no) m, orkide m Nynorsk: orkidé m, orkide m Polish: orchidea (pl) f, storczyk (pl) m inan Portuguese: orquídea (pt) f Romanian: orhidee (ro) f Russian: орхиде́я (ru) f (orxidéja) Serbo-Croatian: orhideja f, kaćun m Sicilian: urchidea f Slovak: orchidea f Slovene: orhideja (sl) f Spanish: orquídea (es) f Swedish: orkidé (sv) c Tagalog: dapo, orkid, orkidya, orkidyas Thai: กล้วยไม้ (th) (glûai-máai) Translingual: Orchidaceae Turkish: orkide (tr) Vietnamese: phong lan (vi), cây lan Volapük: lorkid, rogid Welsh: tegeirian

colour

Adjective

orchid (not comparable)

1. (colour) having a light purple colour.

Translations

colour

Dutch: lichtpaars (nl) Spanish: orquídea (es) Vietnamese: cây lan

Related terms

• orchis

Derived terms

Derived terms

• bee orchid
• boat orchid (Cymbidium spp.)
• butterfly orchid (Platanthera spp. et al.)
• fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera)
• fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)
• fringed orchid (Platanthera spp. et al.)
• hyacinth orchids (Dipodium spp.)
• monkey orchid
• musk orchid (Herminium monorchis)
• odontoglossum (Odontoglossum)
• orchid bee (tribe Euglossini)
• orchid tree
• orchidaceous
• orchidectomy
• orchidopexy
• orchis (Orchis spp.)
• polyorchidism
• scented orchid
• vanda orchid (Vanda spp.)

See also

Other articles

• Cattleya
• clinandrium
• coralroot (Corallorhiza spp.)
• fringed orchis (Platanthera spp. et al.)
• gold bee
• helleborine
• labellum
• ladies' tresses (Spiranthes spp. and Goodyera spp.)
• lady's slipper (subfamily Cypripedioideae)
• orchis
• puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale)
• rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera spp.)
• resupinate
• salep
• swamp pink (Helonias bullata)
• twayblade
• Appendix:Colors

References

1. “ὄρχις”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Anagrams

• rhodic